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The New York Times reports the number of court ordered deportations of illegal immigrants in the United States has fallen nearly in half since 2009.

Figures released Wednesday by the Justice Department, which oversees the federal government's immigration court system, show the Obama administration opened 26 percent fewer deportation cases in the courts last year than in 2009.

The numbers highlight the administration's shift towards greater discretion among prosecutors about the people they sought to deport. The Times said prosecutors have increasingly offered to suspend cases of immigrants with no criminal records who had families in the United States. The number of suspended cases rose more than 400 percent between 2011 and 2013.

President Barack Obama has come under increasing pressure from immigration advocates who have accused him of moving too slowly on reforming the nation's immigration system, while the number of deportations under his watch reaches 2 million.

A comprehensive immigration reform bill that would improve border security and offer a path to citizenship for the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants was approved by the Democratic-led U.S. Senate last year, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has refused to take up the issue.

Once built, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will span 2 kilometers with about 1.5 kilometers over water, and will be longest suspension bridge in world carrying rail system More

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by: Chuck Curtis from: Dallas TX

April 18, 2014 3:51 PM

Here are two news reports on undocumented criminal deportations that cite conflicting statistics about this public safety problem. On April 6, 2014 The New York Times reported in “More Deportations Follow Minor Crimes,” that 20% “of the (two million deportation) cases involved people convicted of serious crimes.”

In the meantime, on April 15, 2014, Texas TV station KETC reported ICE claimed 82% “of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.” (“40 illegal alien criminals arrested by ICE“)

Is ICE hounding innocent (except for illegal entry and minor crimes) hard-working families or saving us from hard-core criminals? It sounds suspiciously like the old saying, “numbers don’t like but liars use numbers.”

by: Not Again from: Canada

April 18, 2014 11:29 AM

Both Canada and the US are nations whose past, present and future was, is, will be ever dependant on immigrants. Both nations came to prosperity, in great part, due to the labour, the entreneurship and drive of immigrants. Given the observed demographics = population ageing, growth and sustainabiltity, immigration is part and parcel of the fundamentals of US and Canadian economic viability.

Essentially, and the bottom line, no person, that is positively contributing to the state should be deported; on the other hand, those that are involved in criminal activities, especially violence, should be summarly deported after they serve their sentences; and so it should be for all those that do not or negatively contribute to society, including those that take advantage of generous benefits for many years, refusing to be gainfully employed; these two negative main groups are the ones that create the backlash and the push for the expulsion of all immigrants (legal/illegal); unfortuately many of them, appear to use the legal system to remain in countries for, in some cases, decades.

The most illogical of deportations relate to those that have established bussineses and in fact contribute more to the economy and well being than most others do. The deportation of young/younger people that have been educated, at great expense of the taxpayers, is even a worse folly. The administration's push for a legislative solution, is correct, but it may take years; a more directive approach would be through a regulatory approach, with the extension of a permit system, that may cover periods of up to ten years at a time, which would be valid and effective for as long as they contribute to the tax pool, or and employment of others, or and continue progressing positively through higher education levels.

In any case, in my view, blindly deporting people that are making a positive contribution to society, is not in the best interests of anyone.

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

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Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

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Fifty years ago, lawmakers approved, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure outlawed racial discrimination in voting, giving millions of blacks in many parts of the southern United States federal enforcement of the right to vote. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some civil rights leaders who were on the front lines in the struggle for voting rights.

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Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

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Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

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Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

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A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

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Talks on a major new trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations are said to be nearing completion in Hawaii. Some trade experts say the "positive atmosphere" at the discussions could mean a deal is within reach, but there is still hard bargaining to be done over many issues and products, including U.S. drugs and Japanese rice. VOA's Jim Randle reports.

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Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

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Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

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The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

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The United States is promising not to give up its fight against what Secretary of State John Kerry calls the “scourge” of modern slavery. Officials released the country’s annual human trafficking report Monday – a report that’s being met with some criticism. VOA’s National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more from the State Department.

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Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.

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Greece has replaced Italy as the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with more than 100,000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015. Many want to move further into Europe and escape Greece’s economic crisis, but they face widespread dangers on the journey overland through the Balkans. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

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After the closure of a major rubbish dump a week ago, the streets of Beirut are filling up with trash. Having failed to draw up a plan B, politicians are struggling to deal with the problem. John Owens has more for VOA from Beirut.

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A U.N. climate conference in December aims to produce an ambitious agreement to fight heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But many local governments are not waiting, and have drafted their own climate action plans. That’s the case with Paris — which is getting special attention, since it’s hosting the climate summit. Lisa Bryant takes a look for VOA at the transformation of the French capital into an eco-city.